


Crumbling Memories

by liepard442



Category: Kagerou Project
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-26 06:03:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6226771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liepard442/pseuds/liepard442
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabbles based around the images at the end of Outer Science. Note that some chapters may be longer than others-!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Marry is Welcomed to the Dan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marry is finally brought into the city for the first time, and is welcomed to the Mekakushi Dan by Kano.

Marry had been clinging to Seto the entire time-- Not that it wasn’t something that the much _taller_ teenager had expected, considering how Marry had never been to the city before. It came no surprise that the petite little girl would be a nervous wreck, considering how the city was busy as always-- Nonetheless, here they were, finally. Standing just outside the apartment that he and his two siblings _now_ called home.

Kneeling down so that he was closer to eye level with her, Seto gave the white-haired girl that same, friendly smile he’d always tried to give her. “We’re here, Marry,” he stated, his voice calm and level. Just looking at her, it was so blatantly _obvious_ that she was anxious. More than likely because of all the people-- In a way, the way she was acting now reminded him so much of how she had acted when he had first met her in the forest a couple of years ago.

It was hard to believe that it had been so _long_ since he had first met her-- Looking at the two of them _now,_ it was hard to imagine that she had once been the slightest bit _taller_ than he was at one point-- Now? He practically _towered_ over her. Not that there was anything _wrong_ with that fact, of course.

What was wrong, however, was just how _nervous_ and anxious Marry seemed-- It worried him, honestly. Would she be able to handle living here? The city was a lot _louder_ than it had been at her small home in the forest-- And the noise never seemed to quiet down. It was… so different, honestly. Even though he had lived in the city his entire life, it was so easy for him to be able to notice that change-- And he knew that it would definitely take a while for Marry to adjust.

… _If she’ll ever adjust--_

“... We can go inside, whenever you feel ready,” Seto finally added, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. He _knew_ that his siblings would be perfectly fine with her-- After all, he’d told them so much about her, and they were sure that she was a very nice girl-! … But Seto was still worried for Marry. It would take her a while to get used to Kano and Kido, not that that was an _issue--_ He just hoped that they’d have the same patience with her that he had had.

Marry stayed silent, taking the time to quietly look around-- What Seto had said was true; the city was nothing like anything she had seen back in her home. It was loud, and busy-- With so many _people._ And, honestly? She felt so _nervous_ with all the noise-- She was used to the quiet of her home in the forest. She was used to the only sound being that of birds chirping, or crickets at night-- Or even Seto’s voice, when he came to visit her.

But here? What occupied the air wasn’t the familiar sound of birds or crickets, but the voices of people that she didn’t know. And, honestly? It _scared her._ If she could, she would _run right back home._ Why had she even left in the first place--? … Right. Because she trusted that Seto would keep her safe.

She took a few more moments to steel herself, before looking up at Seto. She tried her best to smile, even if it seemed a bit forced-- “... I’m… I’m r- ready, Seto,” she replied, finally. Her voice quiet, barely audible. Luckily, Seto had been listening closely-- And had been able to hear her.

“... You’re sure?” He asked, just wanting to make sure that this was what she wanted to do. If she wasn’t ready, he wasn’t going to force her to go inside and meet his siblings-- Not until she was certain that she was ready to meet them.

Nonetheless, Marry simply nodded. She was ready for this. Wrapping the hoodie around herself tighter, she stuck close to Seto as he nodded in return, rising up from his crouched position, and pushing the door open.

“We’re ho--” With Marry close behind him, Seto’s announcement was interrupted by Kano blurting something out as soon as the two of them walked through the door, the shorter boy rising to his feet, his arms spread wide in greeting. To be completely honest, it looked kind of ridiculous-- But, nonetheless, his words did succeed in something;

“ _ Welcome to the Mekakushi Dan, Marry-chan!”  _

They succeeded in making Marry feel welcome.

 


	2. In Which Takane and Shintaro Argue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shintaro and Takane argue after Shintaro makes a remark about Ayano's grades.

It’d become a bit of a habit at this point. Waiting outside of the school while her father went on ahead to the classroom-- That’s what Ayano did every morning, waiting for three other students to arrive. Her best friend, and classmate, Shintaro Kisaragi, as well as the two upperclassmen that she had befriended at the school festival the previous year; Takane Enomoto and Haruka Kokonose. 

She was, typically, one of the first students to arrive at the building, though she wouldn’t enter until her friends had arrived, so that all three of them could do so together. No, instead she would simply sit by the gate, waiting for the three of them. And, as always, the first to arrive was Shintaro-- He was almost never absent from school, not that it would have mattered much if he was. 

Next was usually Haruka, his parents usually choosing to drop him off at the gate. It made sense, honestly; why should they make him walk the distance from their home, when this was so much  _ easier  _ and  _ safer  _ for him? And, the last to arrive was Takane, as always. Then again, that was to be expected, considering how she had admitted that it was hard for her to get awake in the mornings, as well as the fact that she didn’t live too far away from the school, either. It wasn’t even a ten minute walk from there to the house that she lived in with her grandmother! 

Pausing in the middle of the conversation that she had been having with the two that arrived earlier, Ayano spun on her heels so that she could turn to face Takane. A familiar, yet welcoming, smile being allowed to form on her face as the other got closer. “Good morning, Takane-san!” She greeted, waving at the other. 

Once Takane was finally with the rest of the small group of friends, the four of them started inside the gates. Shintaro and Haruka were still in the middle of their conversation. All that Ayano managed to catch from the conversation had been Haruka wishing Shintaro good luck on the quiz that he and Ayano would be having later in the day. Oh, yeah.  _ That.  _ As hard as Ayano had studied for the quiz the night before… She was certain that, just like every other quiz, she would fail this one, too. She still didn’t quite understand the material that they had to study-- And, to be honest? It was frustrating and saddening. 

Well, that on top of everything else that the teenager had going on at the moment. But… that wasn’t important right then. Her ‘family issues’, as she’d chosen to refer to them as, weren’t something worth bothering her friends over it. … It wasn’t like any of them would believe her, if she were to talk about it. …. Then again, maybe haruka would, but that didn’t matter! Ayano decided that she would tune in on the conversation; it wasn’t like she was eavesdropping. The two of them were right there, after all. And all of them were friends, too. So it was only fair that she would be allowed to pay attention to the conversation that the two boys were having. 

“I’m not going to need it,” Shintaro stated, his voice as blunt as usual. It only made sense for him to say something like that, considering how he got a 100% on every test or quiz he’s ever taken-- If he wanted to, he could probably take all the necessary tests to be able to graduate high school  _ this year.  _ She was certain that she’d overheard a couple of teachers bringing the idea up to him as she was leaving a couple of the classes that the two of them had together. Nonetheless, she continued to listen. “If anything, Ayano’s the one who’d going to need it,” Shintaro added, just as they came to the doors that led inside the school building. “You know how her grades are.”

As Shintaro spoke, Ayano’s face turned to a shade of  _ very  _ bright red. Letting out a nervous laugh, she was about to turn her head to face the both of them when she heard Takane start shouting from behind her, pushing forward so that she was standing right  _ next  _ to Shintaro. 

“Oh, why don’t you just shut your fuck?” She stated, the upperclassman glaring daggers at him. Of course she would jump to Ayano’s defense on that situation-- … Then again, she always seemed ready to jump on Shintaro for one reason or another. The two of them weren’t… very good friends. Though it was obvious from the few times that they  _ weren’t  _ arguing that they cared for each other. Somewhat. 

“What? It’s the truth,” Shintaro stated, a matter-of-fact tone in his voice. “I’m just saying that Ayano’s going to need some sort of miracle to be able to do well on today’s math quiz,” he stated, crossing his arms as he looked down at Takane. The height difference was staggering, despite the fact that she was  _ older  _ than he was, Shintaro was still a bit taller than Takane. 

“And, like I said, maybe you should consider  _ shutting your fuck. _ ” Takane was silent for a few moments,  _ glaring  _ up at the other. Ayano could only watch as the scene unfolded-- She didn’t want to have to step in, considering how she didn’t want to have Takane mad at her, too--

But, in the end, she was forced to do so, if only to grab the book out of Takane’s hand before she ended up smacking Shintaro over the head with it. 


	3. In Which Hiyori Shoves Something In Hibiya's Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Hibiya and Hiyori used to be the best of friends...

Cicadas could be heard chirping in the summer heat-- There was a slight breeze, and the sound of the wind rustling through the branches of the surrounding trees was something that both Hiyori and Hibiya had grown used to, considering the fact that they’d lived here, in this small village, for their entire lives. 

While it was, most certainly, something that could be considered  _ difficult  _ to believe, Hibiya and Hiyori were the best of friends; the fact that she was the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the village didn’t mean  _ anything.  _ To Hibiya Amamiya, she was just another girl in his class. Well, another girl in his class that just so happened to  _ also  _ be his best friend. 

Usually it was difficult for the two of them to be able to meet up like this  _ after  _ school. It was true, Hibiya didn’t usually have much that he needed to do at home, aside from a few chores that his father made him do, as well as the small amount of homework that elementary school students  _ their  _ age would receive. Which, in all honesty, wasn’t much that had to be done at all. Most of the time, Hibiya would get all of his work done relatively soon after getting home, and would have to spend the rest of the afternoon outside, playing-- At least, until his mother had finished supper. 

_ Hiyori,  _ on the other hand, was a completely different story. To be so young, her schedule was almost  _ constantly  _ packed. She had school, just like everyone else. Then, after that, she would have a short amount of time to do her homework, and then it would be off to one of the after-school lessons that had been arranged for her. Sometimes it was piano, sometimes it was flower arranging… There were so many classes that she had to take after school, it was  _ ridiculous.  _ And, it’d become pretty well known between the two of them that, most of the time, the weekends weren’t any better-- 

Nonetheless, with how packed Hiyori’s schedule usually was, there was occasionally a day where she’d have little to nothing planned-- A day that she could spend doing whatever she wanted, without prearranged plans getting in the way. By some miracle, today happened to be one of those days. 

And, so, there they were. Two elementary school students, sitting outside. Near one of the streams that flowed near the edge of the forest, just… chatting. Hiyori’s face was red, and her breathing was quick-- Then again, Hibiya was the exact same way. After all, it only made sense, considering the fact that the two of them had been chasing each other around only minutes before. 

“Y’know… There’s got to be something better for us to spend our day doing, Hibiya,” Hiyori stated, taking a moment to reach up for her hair, playing around with the black pigtails. As she spoke, she looked directly  _ at  _ Hibiya, making eye contact. Something that she tended to do quite a bit when she was talking to someone, Hibiya had noticed-- Not that there was anything  _ wrong  _ with it-- It was polite, after all!

“... What do you mean?” Hibiya asked, raising an eyebrow. It wasn’t like the two of them really had much else to do-- Hiyori had already stated that her mother, for some reason, had some sort of distaste for him-- And that it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to bring him to her home for them to find something to do there. … And going to Hibiya’s home was, most definitely, out of the question. If Hiyori found  _ this  _ boring, then who knows how boring she’d find the slightly older boy’s home. 

“... I  _ mean  _ that it’s time we find something else to do, instead of just chasing each other around in circles for no reason!” She exclaimed, pouting just a bit. She was clearly starting to grow irritated, more than likely from the fact that Hibiya hadn’t seemed to get what she had meant. 

The two sat in silence for a few moments, thinking. Hibiya didn’t dare speak up until he’d thought of an idea-- He didn’t want to risk irritating Hiyori any further. … As great of a friend as she was, that was definitely one of the girl’s flaws; she had little to no patience. 

Hibiya had been about to open his mouth and say something when he saw Hiyori stand up from where she had been sitting, and walk behind him. She didn’t say anything, not yet-- But the boy couldn’t help but wonder what it was that she was up to. Until, finally, he felt her pushing him-- And, before he really had time to react, he could feel his weight going forward… Until he landed face first in the shallow stream that they had been by. 

Quickly trying to push himself up, a quick glance at Hiyori showed that she was  _ laughing.  _ Hibiya could already feel his face heating up from the embarrassment-- It took a few moments, but Hiyori was able to calm her laughter-- Which led to Hibiya finally asking; “ _ What was that for?!”  _

“I thought of something to do, duh~!” She responded, a playful tone to her voice. Hibiya stared at her for a moment, concerned-- How was pushing him into the stream something  _ fun  _ for them to do…? He didn’t quite understand- At least, he didn’t until Hiyori made her way over to him, stepping into the stream as well. 

“You’re not mad, are you, Hibiya-kun?” She asked, still smiling at him. It was obvious what his answer would be, yet she still had to ask. Just to make sure--

“W- what?! Of course not-! I’m just… I’m just startled that you would--”

“It’s not like getting wet’s going to kill you-!” 

“I- I know, but--”

“But nothing.” As Hiyori spoke, she crouched down into the water, reaching for something that she had spotted as she was speaking with Hibiya. A few seconds later, a small smirk formed on her face. “ _ Anyways,  _ Hibiya-kun! Come here a second!” As she spoke she was trying so hard to not start giggling-- 

Confused, and still slightly started, Hibiya made his way over to her, staring at her with a confused expression. “What is it, Hiyori-chan?-”

“ _ This!”  _ And, almost instantly, Hiyori brought her hand out of the water to reveal what she had grabbed-- Some sort of strange, shelled creature that clearly belonged in the water-- And Hiyori  _ instantly  _ shoved it in Hibiya’s face. “Look at it! It’s so c--”

Hiyori was cut off by Hibiya screaming and almost falling backwards into the shallow water. 


	4. In Which Ayano Is Given a Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayaka tells Ayano that she's going to be a big sister.

It wasn’t very difficult to get her daughter’s attention. That was one thing that Ayaka was glad and thankful for-- Ayano, as mischievous as she could be at times, was a good girl at heart. That was something that Ayaka definitely appreciated. Nonetheless, this didn’t make the conversation that she was about to have with her daughter any less awkward-- It wasn’t like most parents had a conversation like this with their children. True, maybe there would be something  _ similar-  _ But, most of the time, it was nothing like that. 

Approaching the couch from behind, Ayaka smiled a bit, seeing that Ayano had all of her attention on one thing- A volume of some Shounen Manga. Of course; she loved that sort of thing. Stories of heroes and villains… It was definitely something that was up her alley. Nonetheless, Ayaka leaned against the back of the couch, hovering over her daughter for a few moments, until she glanced up and returned her smile. 

“Oh, Mom!” She greeted, placing the book down swiftly, not even bothering to mark where she had been reading. “I didn’t notice you standing there!” She added on rather hastily-- Not that she had any reason to act like that. Ayaka was understanding-- And it wasn’t like Ayano was in any sort of trouble.

“Nono, it’s fine,” Ayaka reassured, before walking around the couch. Setting the two books that she held in her hands on the coffee table, she sat next to her daughter, a smile still on her face. “There’s just something that I wanted to talk to you about, Ayano. It’s something  _ very  _ important, alright?” 

Almost instantly, Ayano seemed to perk up. Ayaka couldn’t help but laugh a bit at the way her daughter’s smile seemed to  _ instantly  _ grow at the mention of her being told something  _ important.  _ “Something  _ important?”  _ Ayano echoed-- Ayaka simply nodded. 

“Yes, something  _ very  _ important, that only  _ you  _ can do, Ayano,” Ayaka explained, making herself comfortable on the couch. The eager expression that the young girl had… It made this all the easier. She knew that she could trust Ayano to be a good big sister to these kids-- But there was still that bit of worry. The fact that these children that would be living with them weren’t ‘normal--’ Then again, it wasn’t like Ayano was the type to tease anyone. She really was a good kid. 

“... Ayano, I’m going to need you to be a good big sister for me, alright?”


	5. In Which Shion Thinks of the Past and Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shion writes in the journal passed down to her from Azami... And thinks of both the past, and what the future may be like for herself and Marry.

Sitting at the table, Shion stared at the closed book that sat before her. To most, it wouldn’t have been anything all that interesting. It was only an old book, with almost nothing written on the cover-- Aside from one thing that was written in faded letters, almost impossible to be seen, even if one knew what it was that they were looking for. 

Written on the front cover of the book was the word-  _ No,  _ the  _ name  _ Azami. A name that Shion had heard so many times throughout her childhood from her father. The name of her Mother, who left the two of them behind. Not that Shion was bitter about the woman’s decision-- As confused as she had been by it,she understood things a bit better now. She understood that her Mother had chosen to do that in order to protect her-- … To be able to protect herself and her father from the cruel people of the village that he had once lived in. 

It took Shion a few moments, quietly glancing behind her to make sure that Marry was still sound asleep-- It was such a  _ relief  _ to see that the small girl was still sound asleep in her bed. As much as she hated it, Shion had found that this was the only way that she could be certain that Marry wasn’t trying to leave their home. 

The world outside was dangerous-- Especially for those like them. Those who weren’t  _ normal.  _ Azami had taught her that much, with the recount of her life before meeting Tsukihiko in the journal… And even her father had been well aware of how cruel the world could be, with the way that the people of the village had treated when he was young. 

As long ago as those events were-- They must have been over a thousand years ago at this point, they still felt like they were  _ yesterday  _ to Shion. Even if she had managed to find someone that she could consider her husband for a short time-- Someone who would gladly be a father for Marry throughout the young girl’s early years of her life. The man’s death was still saddening to Shion, to this day. It was painful, to fall for someone. To know that they would die long before you…--

That had been why Mother had created the never-ending world, hadn’t it? So that the three of them could live together, happily. Forever. So that she wouldn’t have to lose them, as humans lived such short lives… Even compared to Shion’s, a  _ normal  _ human’s life was short. And with how her mother had, essentially, been immortal… Perhaps even Shion’s life would be short compared to her own. 

Of course, Shion hadn’t been able to do something like her mother had. As much as she would have loved to keep her family forever… It would have been selfish. After all, who knows…? One day the world may come to accept the ‘monsters’ that they were, even if that was the farthest thing from the truth. 

Maybe one day herself and Marry would be accepted by those who still inhabited that old village…- Maybe one day she would be able to show this very journal to Marry with  _ pride.  _ To be able to show her just how wonderful her grandmother had been-- Just how much their family had been through over all of those years…-

As Shion finished her writing, the book was closed and placed into the locked drawer that she always kept it in. Marry didn’t need to read  _ this  _ book quite yet. She wasn’t quite old enough to understand why it was so important-- … Maybe once she got older. 


	6. In Which Shion and Azami Walk Through the Haze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shion and Azami have a short conversation after reuniting in the Haze.

“I can’t believe you got so  _ tall.”  _ Those were the first words that Shion had heard that familiar voice say after so many years. It was ridiculous, really. Hundreds… Possibly almost a thousand years had passed since she’d seen the black-haired woman that was her mother, and the first words out of the medusa’s mouth was a comment about how tall she had gotten. 

Then again, perhaps she shouldn’t have expected anything less from her. At this point, it was just nice to be able to talk to her again. It’d been so long-- And, even if she had moved on, more or less, she had still missed her so much. Azami had been her mother… There was no way that she couldn’t have missed her. “... Yeah, I guess I took after Father there, too-”

As Shion looked down at Azami, she could see that there was a bit of a frown beginning to form on her mother’s face. “... Perhaps,” she responded, her voice somewhat snappy as she crossed her arms. Her red eyes narrowed just the slightest bit… But it wasn’t like she was really  _ angry.  _ From what Shino remembered, when she was younger, her mother had always been a bit on the irritable and grumpy side. It wasn’t that she was angry, not at all. 

The two continued walking in silence, staying next to each other. There… really wasn’t much for the two of them to say to each other, despite all the time that had passed since the last time that they had seen each other. But, nonetheless, they were perfectly content to just be walking side by side. 

It was enough for Shion to be able to see her again, after all. 


End file.
